Another Divine Complaint Series

Hosea 8 [HCSB]

May 29, 2013

Oak Park Baptist Church – Wed Bible Study Series

Hosea Bible Study

A Study of the Minor Prophets Hosea (750-725 BC)

HOSEA to Israel (Northern Kingdom)

What we have learned so far is that the nation of Israel has been rebellious and stubborn about serving/obeying God.

They have rebelled to the point where God is ready to discipline them and thru the prophet Hosea He has proclaimed what His judgment is going to be total destruction of the nation and its inhabitants taken into captivity as well.

God’s desire is NOT judgment, but He seeks repentance and reconciliation from the people… His desire is that they turn FROM the false gods they have come to worship and turn BACK to Him as their God.

He has promised to NOT go thru with the destruction if they would but turn back to Him, but understands that their hearts are NOT focused on turning to Him, but on their own selfish desires!

As we look at ch8 tonight we are going to find that this is yet another divine complaint from God against the people of Israel… God’s focus of blame is on the religious and secular leaders BUT His judgment is prophesied to fall on ALL the people.

Here in ch8 we find God upset that Israel is NOT willing to submit to Him as their God and protector… His complaint is about Israel believing that they were secure in their ownself!

READ VERSES HERE… Reading from NLT

1“Sound the alarm! The enemy descends like an eagle on the people of the Lord, for they have broken my covenant and revolted against my law. 2Now Israel pleads with me, ‘Help us, for you are our God!’ 3But it is too late. The people of Israel have rejected what is good, and now their enemies will chase after them.

These verses describe the same thing as 4:1-3 describe and that is the basic sin that Israel is committing… that sin is rejection of Yahweh as their God and turning to other gods!

In v2 we see Israel crying out… “Hey God you are OUR God… we need You to help us…” This was a nation that still clung to the covenant God established with the nation coming out of Egypt… They believed God was THEIR God and that they were God’s children!

However, as we saw earlier in the prophet’s writing is that God was NOT buying this argument, in fact God had already established that they were NO LONGER His people, based on the choices they had made and their willful rebellion!

In v3 we find God telling them thru Hosea that they were NOT going to be saved or helped by God because they had rejected what is good…

The term ‘good’ here is a generic term for good and should be treated as such. The leaders AND the people had rejected God who is the epitome of goodness, they had rejected living their lives by the Torah which reflected God’s goodness in its teachings… they had rejected a faith in God to deliver them by seeking treaties with other nations which is NOT good!

As we continue to look at v3 we can also see the word ‘enemy’ or ‘enemies’ being used and we can also know that it is also a very general sense of the word. It refers to the opposite of good and to reject that which IS good.

So in other words, to forsake the goodness of God and His covenant… the nation was not facing the pursuit of enemy kingdoms after them!

This includes, but is not limited to, military defeats… but it can also mean that God Himself may hunt them down like an enemy would…

4The people have appointed kings without my consent, and princes without my knowledge. By making idols for themselves from their silver and gold, they have brought about their own destruction. 5“O Samaria, I reject this calf— this idol you have made. My fury burns against you. How long will you be incapable of innocence? 6This calf you worship, O Israel, was crafted by your own hands! It is not God! Therefore, it must be smashed to bits.

In v4 we find at the 1st part of the verse that even in the political processes of the nation that the Israelites had abandoned their faith and trust in the Lord.

God says, “…the people have appointed kings without my consent.” They had taken the process out of God’s hands and had come to believe it was THEIR right to choose a king and NOT God’s prerogative to appoint one.

BECAUSE of this attitude, the people had chosen MANY terrible men to rule and ALL had failed in serving God and leading the nation to be God’s people!